The number of people who search for information online by using their cell phones has become huge. It’s so huge that on Tuesday, April 21, 2015 Google started giving websites that are mobile-friendly priority in search results displayed on mobile devices. In other words, if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, it likely won’t show up in the Google search results displayed on a cell phone.
The bottom-line: if you’re developing a new website, incorporate responsive design to ensure that your website will be mobile-friendly. (Not sure if your current website is mobile-friendly? Check using Google’s mobile-friendly test.)
Here are a few more important things to include in your website development process:
Design Your Website for Your Customer
Your website is supposed to be for your target audience, not you. So begin your website development process by taking a customer-centric approach. Consider what your target audience is looking for, how they buy, and what they need to help them make an informed decision. If you don’t know, spend some time and money doing research so you do know. Once you’ve nailed down a clear picture, plan your website’s sitemap around what your audience requires.
Implement Basic SEO into Your Website Development
Want your website to get found by Google and other search engines? Then you need to make sure every page on your website has its own unique meta title and meta description. Here’s why. When someone conducts a search on Google, Google sifts through millions of website pages seeking out the pages that are the most relevant to the search term that was used. The meta title and meta description that accompanies a page provides Google with a clue as to what’s on the page. By not incorporating these two elements your website’s pages will be virtually invisible to Google.
Make Keyword Research Part of Your Website Development
Over 80% of the time when people go on the Internet it’s to search for information. So it makes sense that if you want your website to appear in the Google search results, you should incorporate the keywords people are searching with into the meta title, meta description and content of your website’s pages. Don’t guess what those keywords are either. Be accurate by conducting keyword research first using tools like the Google Adwords Keyword Planner.
Need assistance with website development? The team at Get Lift can assist you with the entire process. Contact us for a complimentary consultation.